Gompers Park encampment move-out delayed, leaving youth baseball league in limbo

CHICAGO - The City of Chicago has postponed plans to transition unhoused individuals living in a Northwest Side homeless encampment into shelters.

The encampment, located in Gompers Park, has been a point of contention among community members for months.

Now, the park's youth baseball league could be forced to find new stomping grounds.

What we know:

Neighbors—who say they are frustrated with issues tied to the encampment, including drug use, fires, fighting, and nudity—have been working with local leaders to find a solution.

"We’ve been asking for help in Gompers for over a year now," Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th Ward) said. "In addition to myself, Senator Ram Villivalam, State Representative Mike Kelly, State Representative Lindsey LaPointe – we've all been working together, asking for this moving event to be pushed up because we recognize that we have a dangerous situation."

After months of requests, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office granted an Accelerated Moving Event (AME), originally scheduled for Feb. 24.

This week, however, Ald. Nugent said she was notified by the mayor’s office that the move is being pushed to March.

Community members say the curveball could mean that youth programs will be forced to pivot.

"For our house league, we have 625 kids," said Ryan Johnson, president of the Gompers Park Athletic Association (GPAA). "My main concern is the safety of everyone."

With spring sports fast approaching and dozens of tents still scattered across Gompers Park, Johnson is preparing to find a new place to play ball, citing countless problems tied to the encampment near Foster and Pulaski.

"Mainly the drug use and the drug paraphernalia that was found in the area, prostitution. We had a team that was doing a volunteer cleanup day here and ran into things they should not see as children," Johnson shared.

Johnson recently sent a letter to families on behalf of the GPAA, writing, in part:

"Based on these safety concerns in such close proximity to the playing field, we have unanimously agreed that if the tents located near the playing field are still present or if they return at any point during the season, we will be forced to suspend all activities from Little Gomps.

"I have confirmed that we have the capacity to move all of the projected games from Little Gompers to our other fields so we will not lose any games. Being forced off of our most recently renovated field will be extremely difficult, but it is definitely what is in the best interest of player safety."

Baseball practice is scheduled to start in a few weeks and Johnson said the league is planning to relocate practices and games if the tents remain in place.

"Once we know the tents are gone and have reassurance that they will not return, we will have games back here pretty quickly," Johnson said.

In addition to drug paraphernalia near baseball diamonds and basketball courts, residents say they have discovered knives in the park, sharing photos with FOX 32 Chicago of the items they’ve found.

Nugent also said between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5, there were at least three fires near the encampment.

"The last fire was pretty severe. It burned through the fencing along Foster," Nugent said. "We also, this past Sunday, had a second attack by a Pit Bull that was unleashed."

Another dog attack from earlier this winter was caught on video, showing an encampment resident’s unleashed dog sprinting across the street and attacking a community member and their dog.

Nugent said Mayor Johnson’s office told her the relocation event would be delayed until the week of March 5, and that they promised to clean up the baseball fields by April. 

According to Nugent, officials with the mayor’s office cited President Donald Trump’s recent attempts to freeze federal funding as the reason for the delay.

"You know, look, the president threatened to take away federal funding. Within 48 hours, the court said, ‘no’ and it never came to fruition," Nugent said. "I'd like to think we can keep the wheels on the bus and not move the goal post and get this done."

What's next:

When the relocation does happen, an AME would speed up and fund the process of placing the unhoused individuals into homes. It essentially takes multiple steps in the housing process and consolidates them into one day, allowing a smooth process for those seeking shelter.

FOX 32 Chicago reached out to the mayor’s office for an update on their plans for the Gompers Park encampment but did not receive a response on Thursday.